Reel for tray ovens



June 6, 1939- w. E. DAvls ET AL REEL FOR TRAY OVENS Filed April l, 1938 Patented June 6, 1939 REEL FOR TRAY OVENS Wilbur E. Davis and William Schonwald, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Middleby-Marshall Oven Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application April 1, 1938, Serial No. 199,454

This invention relates to improvements in reels for tray ovens, particularly to the construction 7 Claims.

of the end spiders of such reels.

It has hereto-fore been common practice to construct end spiders of reels of tray ovens by casting, thereby providing integral hubs, spokes and rims.

Not only has considerable difficulty been experienced in the manufacture of such spiders due to Warpage or other causes since the spiders are of substantial diameter, depending, of course, on the size of the reel, but, due to their initial cost, they have added considerably to the total cost of the oven and because of their weight, have necessitated sturdier and more expensive structures and bearings for carrying the reels.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a frabricated spider construction which is not only less costly to build but which is lighter in weight than a solid cast spider of corresponding size and which is capable of carrying corre-- spending loads..

A more specific object of the invention is' to provide a fabricated spider having hollow spokes made of sheet metal, the individual spokes being so constructed that the parts of which the same are formed can be relatively easily shaped and can be attached together preferably by welding in such manner as to avoid warpage or twisting thereof.

ing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a broken elevation of the inner face of a spid'er or reel end embodying the present improvements Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a broken enlarged perspective View of the inner end of one of the hollow spider spokes; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-l of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged broken plan of a hub; and Fig. 6 is an end elevation of an improved reel showing conventional trays supported thereby.

In the drawing,

I0 is a. hub which may be (Cl. ISS-211) formed as a casting and having a central shaft recess Il. The hub is provided with a radial flange i2, adjacent the periphery of which the inner face is provided with a rabbet I3 as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. The flange is also provided on the inner face thereof with a shoulder I4. On the opposite side of the median plane of the hub, a shoulder is provided, the purposes of which will be presently described.

The specic form of spider disclosed in the drawing comprises the hub I0 and a plurality of spokes each indicated generally by the numeral I6, the spokes being secured to the hub at their inner ends and` preferably secured together at their outer ends by members I'I to provide a 15 sturdy tray supporting structure, it being understood that two of such spiders are arranged to support therebetween a plural-ity of trays conventionally shown at I8. The pans of dough or batter to be baked are placed upon the trays and the product baked during the rotation of the reel.

The spokes preferably are formed of two channel members |6a and 1Gb formed of sheet metal. The flanges of the sections Ita and Ib indicated by the numeral Ic preferably decrease in Width from the inner to the louter' ends of the spokes. The faces: of the sections IGa and Itb likewise decreasey in width from the inner to the outer ends thereof to provide a slightly tapering structure. The longitudinal edges of the flanges IGc are arranged in abutting relation and welded together providing seams Id disposed substantially in a central or median plane through the spoke. It has been, found that where both of the members ita and Ib are provided` with the flanges IBC, the welding of the seams Id can be effected without causing warpage or twisting of the spokes. The inner end of the member I6a provides a shoulder I9, while the inner end of the member I6?) terminates in an extension 2D, the inner corners of which are cut olf or bevelled as shown in Figs. l and 3 to enable the assembly of the spokes upon the hub in the relation shown in Fig. 1. 45

In assembling the spokes, the horizontal portions IQa of the shoulders I9 abut the peripheral face I2a of the flange I2 while the intermediate portion |91; of the shoulder extends as a chord across the inner face of the flange within the rabbet I3 as shown in Figs, 1 and 2.

The extension 20 of the portion Ib of each spoke extends radially of the hub into Contact with the shoulder I5 and into abutting relation with the annular wall I5a thereof and is welded thereto while the face |917 of the shoulder is. Welded to the face |3afl of the rabbet I3. The contacting of the members |9b with the face |3a and the portion 2B with the shoulder I5 aligns the respective spokes uniformly in the proper plane with reference to the hub.

After the spokes have been assembled in the position shown in Fig. 1, a pair of discs 2| and 22 are disposed on the inner and outer faces ofthe spiders, respectively, the disc 2| having a central aperture which accommodates the annular wall |a of the hub and enables the disc to flt down upon the inner portions of the spokes. TheV disc is then welded as at 2|a to the contacting annular face |5a of the hub and welded also at its outer periphery to the spokesas at 2lb. The discs are concavo-convex or otherwise suitably shaped to contact the outer faces of the spokes. They may be pre-shaped to fit as described or they may be compressed into the fitting relation shown in Fig. 2. The inner periphery of the disc 22 flts around the hub at the shoulder I4 and is Welded to the annular wall thereof whileV the outer periphery overlies the inner faces of the spokes and is welded at its edge to the spokes. Between the spokes, plates 23 are secured by welding the same to the spokes and to the adjacent edges of the discs 2| and 22. These plates 23 serve to assist in stiilening and strengthening the structure.

As shown in Fig. 6, the spokes IB support the trays I8 which may be of any conventional form. The outer ends of the spokes as stated above are connected by member I1 which are welded thereto and constitute a supporting rim for the spiders. The member may be of any cross-sectional shape desired, that shown in the drawing being of T-section.

Two of the spiders forming a reel are attached to a shaft 24 which, as well known, is suitab-ly supported for rotation within an oven, the spiders beingV attached to the shaft by any approved means so as to rotate therewith, the shaft being driven by any appropriate mechanism not shown. The spiders are held in properly spaced and rigid relation by means of axially extending tubes 25 through which extend rods 26 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Centrally apertured spacer members 21 preferably are arranged concentrically of the openings in the arms or spokes I6 through which the rods 26 pass, as shown in Fig. 2, and are welded tothe members IBa, |617 to prevent inward deflection of the opposite faces of the spokes by the stresses exerted thereon bythe bolt nuts and heads. The construction described, wherein the inner end portions of the spokes abut or contact the shoulders or steps of the hub and are reinforced by the opposed discs and wherein the structure, in cross-section as shown in Fig. 2, tapers in a direction from the hub toward the rim, provides a rigid structure lighter in weight than reels of like size and load carrying capacity formed of solid cast spiders and one which is substantially more economical to construct.

While We have shown and described certain embodiments of our improvements for the purpose of illustration, we do not Wish to be rel stricted specifically thereto as various changes minating in a cylindrical periphery, a plurality of hollow sheet metal spokes provided with shoulders each comprising ends of two opposed walls of the spoke abutting the periphery of said flange and an end portion of another side wall of the spoke disposed as a chord across a. side of said flange, and extensions overlying the other side of said flange and welded thereto.

2. A spider for a tray oven reel comprising a hub having a radial flange, a plurality of hollow fabricated sheet metal spokes provided with shoulders abutting the periphery of said flange and inner ends overlying and co-ntacting a face of the same, said spokes being welded to said flange at said periphery and said contacting areas of the face of the latter, and a pair of centrally apertured discs disposed over opposite sides of the inner portions of said spokes concentrically of said hub and welded at the inner peripheries thereof to the hub and at the outer peripheries to said spokes.

3. A structure of the class described comprising a hub provided with a stepped flange intermediate the ends. thereof, a plurality of hollow Yspokes each having an inner end provided with a shoulder abutting the periphery of said flange and an extension overlying said step, said shoulders and inner ends of said spokes being welded to the said contacting portions of said hub, and a pair of centrally apertured discs each welded. at its inner periphery to one side of said hub and overlying the inner end portions of said spokes and welded thereto. Y

4. A structure of the class rdescribed comprising a hub provided with a radial flange, a plurality of hollow spokes each comprising a pair of mating channel-shaped members welded together along the longitudinal edges thereof, one of said members having a shoulder at the inner end abutting the outer periphery of said flange and the mating member having an extension at the inner end overlying and contacting said flange, said members being welded to said flange at said contacting portions thereof, and a pair of centrally apertured discs coaxially disposed over the inner ends of said spokes on opposite sides thereof and each welded at its inner periphery to said hub and at its outer periphery to said spokes.

5. A spider for reel ovens comprising a hub provided with a radial flange, a plurality of spokes each comprising a pair of mating channelshaped members having longitudinal flanges of decreasing width from the inner to the outer ends, said flanges of each pair being secured together to provide a hollow spoke with convergent front and rear faces, one of said members of each pair providing a shoulder abutting the periphery of said hub flange and welded thereto, the other members of each pair having an inner end portion overlying and contacting said hub flange and welded thereto, and a pair of centrally apertured discs each disposed on one side of said flange and welded at its inner periphery to said hub and overlying the inner portions of said convergent faces of said spokes and welded thereto.

6. A spider for a tray-oven reel comprising a hub having a radial flange, and a plurality of hollow spokes each provided on one side of the median plane thereof with a transverse shoulder adjacent the inner end adapted to abut the periphery of said flange and to overlie a portion of one face of the flange, and an extension at the opposite side of the median plane of the spoke extending radially inwardly of said flange,

said shoulder and extension being Welded to said hub.

7. A spider for a. tray-oven reel comprising a hub provided with a radial flange, a plurality of hollow spokes each having a wall disposed on one side of said flange and secured thereto, the distance between said walls decreasing outwardly from the inner ends thereof, and a pair of cenoverlying the adjacent end portions of said spokes Y and secured at the inner and outer peripheries thereof to said hub and spokes respectively.

WILBUR E. DAVIS. WILLIAM SCHONWALD. 

